The multi-client expense nightmare
Tracking what’s billable and what’s overhead across 10+ clients:
Ad spend chaos
Facebook Ads for Client A. Google Ads for Client B. LinkedIn campaigns for Client C. Which credit card? Which campaign? Is this reimbursable or included in the retainer?
Reimbursable expense hell
Stock photos for Client D’s campaign. A Canva template for Client E. A domain renewal for Client F. You need to invoice these, but where’s the receipt? Which card was it on?
Overhead vs client costs
SEMrush subscription: split across 3 clients. Slack workspace: agency overhead. Zapier: half client, half internal. Your bookkeeper needs clean categories by Friday.
Track every agency expense
From ad spend to team tools, everything syncs when you choose.
Client ad spend
- Paid social: Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads
- Search advertising: Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Amazon Ads
- Display and programmatic: display campaigns, retargeting, native ads
- Influencer payments: creator partnerships, sponsored posts
Client reimbursable expenses
- Creative assets: stock photos, icons, fonts, video footage
- Domains and hosting: client website domains, landing page hosting
- Software licenses: client-specific tool subscriptions
- Contractor payments: freelance writers, designers, videographers
Agency tools and software
- Marketing platforms: HubSpot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign
- Analytics and SEO: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Google Analytics 360
- Design and collaboration: Canva, Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud
- Project management: Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Slack
Agency overhead
- Office expenses: coworking space, utilities, internet
- Payroll and benefits: team salaries, health insurance, retirement
- Professional development: conferences, training, certifications
- Business services: accounting, legal, insurance
How it works
Connect once, then sync whenever you review client finances.
Connect all agency accounts
Press Sync now
Tag by client and category
Build client reports
Professional agency bookkeeping workflow
For accountants and bookkeepers: streamline multi-client expense tracking for marketing agencies.
The 5-step process
The agency connects all its accounts through Plaid
Transactions sync into a shared Google Sheet
Run SheetLink Recipes
Review and adjust client tags
Export reports for client billing
Your Google Sheet becomes the system of record for agency expense tracking. You own the data. Clients can see their own expenses. No exports, no lock-in, just clean multi-client bookkeeping in a spreadsheet.
Questions
How do I track client reimbursable expenses for my agency?
SheetLink syncs your bank and credit card transactions into Google Sheets when you press Sync now. Add a “Client” column to tag which expenses are reimbursable, then use a pivot table or SUMIF formulas to build client-specific expense reports. It works for ad spend, software costs and other billable expenses across multiple clients.
Can SheetLink help separate agency overhead from client expenses?
Yes. Add your own columns in your Google Sheet to categorize transactions as “Agency Overhead,” “Client Reimbursable” or “Direct Ad Spend.” Use filters and pivot tables to analyze profitability by client or campaign. SheetLink gives you the raw transaction data, and you control the categorization.
Does this work for agencies managing multiple client credit cards?
Yes. With Pro, connect every bank account and credit card you use through Plaid. Each card’s transactions land in your master Google Sheet with the account name, so it’s easy to see which expenses belong to which client or campaign.